Department of National Defense – Republic of the Philippines

Public Affairs Service, DND Annex Building, Natividad Ave., Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City 1110
Website: www.dnd.gov.ph | E-Mail: publicaffairs.dnd@gmail.com
Tel: (+632) 982-5679 | 911-6001 to 31 ext. 8229 | Fax: (+632) 911-7113

Date Released: November 17, 2018 Releasing Officer: DIR. ARSENIO R. ANDOLONG, MNSA, CESE
Chief, Public Affairs Service

The Ultimate ROTC Challenge 2018:

Cadets compete in marksmanship, endurance and HADR

Camp Riego de Dios, Tanza Cavite - More than 100 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC) Cadets from within the Major Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) – Philippine Army, Navy, Air Force and the Philippine Military Academy, as well as
cadets from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and Maritime Academy of
Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) bested each other during the Ultimate ROTC Challenge 2018
held on November 9-11, 2018 here.

The competition put to test the skills of the cadets in various categories including M-
16 endurance firing, caliber .45 firing, obstacle course and humanitarian assistance and
disaster response (HADR) / first aid exercises. These areas are given focus in the ROTC
program to train and enhance the competence of the country’s reserve force and instill
among the Filipino youth the core values of discipline, service, duty, leadership and love for
country.

Rear Admiral Samuel Z. Felix, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservists and Retiree
Affairs (OJ-9, AFP) was the guest of honor and speaker in the opening ceremony. He was
joined by BGen. Bernie S. Langub, Commander, Commander of the Army Reserve
Command (ARESCOM) and BGen. Peter C. Suchianco, Commander of the First Technical
Administrative Brigade, and other guests.

RAdm. Felix assured everyone present that the AFP is presently working on
acquiring a bigger budget for the training to capacitate the cadets so that the AFP “would
have capable reserve officers ready to be tapped at any time.” Reiterating to the cadets the
importance of mandatory ROTC, he asked for their help in promoting the legislation of
mandatory ROTC, in compliance with the President’s pronouncement to “instill love of
country and good citizenship.”

BGen Langub, the ARESCOM Commander, for his part, said that ROTC is basic
soldiery and it is important that the cadets are trained for it. Likening cadets to ships which
he said “are safe on anchor but they are not meant to be there,” BGen Langub said that it is
better to “have the training and not have the situation, rather than having the situation but
not being capable of dealing with it.”

Meanwhile, BGen Suchianco recognized that the best asset of ROTC is each and
every cadet, thus, they should possess the right discipline, love of country and willingness
to serve. A lawyer by profession, BGen Suchiano is part of the team that contributed to the
improvement of the personnel management information system (PMIS) that the Philippine
Navy is adapting at the present.

/dndphl @dndphl /dndph DND Press Release | Page 1 of 2

 While Team PMA bagged the overall champion in the Ultimate ROTC Challenge
2018 after dominating the Obstacle course and the Caliber .45 firing, the Philippine Navy
ROTC cadets won the first place in the M-16 Endurance firing. The Team MAAP bested all
others in the HADR/First aid category.

The performance the ROTC cadets exhibited in various events demonstrated the
kind of ROTC cadets that the country is producing at present, which is significantly different
from the ones in the past whose exposure in the training was limited to classroom
instruction and marching. Being provided with the skills and knowledge in actual war-
fighting, guns handling, and HADR through physical and practical trainings mold the cadets
into becoming as capable as the regular soldiers who can readily serve their country and
the Filipino people.

The reinstatement of the mandatory ROTC in the Philippine educational curriculum

tops the legislative agenda of the Department of National Defense (DND). Through the
AFP, DND is also enhancing the ROTC program in order to ensure the development of a
skilled, robust and responsive Reserve Force, as it will guarantee more soldiers to sustain
defense of the country. The Defense Department believes that the ROTC can effectively
transform today’s youth into defenders, leaders and patriots of tomorrow.

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/dndphl @dndphl /dndph DND Press Release | Page 2 of 2